Does anyone listen to Kings of Convenience? If you answered no, first of all: don't tell anybody! you don't want that kind of information leaking out. Second of all, stop reading this blog because you're just not going to care.
So I really love the vocal stylings of this Norwegian duo. Akin to Simon and Garfunkel, with the obvious influence of such musical strongholds as Belle and Sebastian, Nico, and I would daresay (whether they know it or not)Nick Drake.
They crank out these smooth, intimately harmonic songs accompanied by their lyrical whisperings, sometimes with the help of collaborator, Leslie Feist. Her voice is immensely sweet and ethereal, blending with the other voices and guitar as if they all emerged simultaneouly from the same womb. Check out my favorites: The Build Up, and Know-How. They are both amazing.
Here's my beef. Leslie Feist has such a beautiful voice and is amazingly talented. So why, when she solo-ed it, did she make such a crappy record? Her voice is great, but the lyrics are awful and the tunes remind me of dentist office music that you really just wish you could tune out. Her one saving grace is "Piste 1" and maybe, MAYBE mushaboom. I get so upset when such people with such amazing talent squander it away for a crappy record.
So here is my plea: Kings of Convenience, will you please write a record for Leslie Feist? She wants to be a great musician, she really does. It's not her fault that whoever wrote her record sucked the big one. Or maybe it is, which would push me to change my plea to: Leslie Feist, please stop writing your own records. For the good of the people.
I'll just keep listening to Cat Power while I wait for this miracle to be made manifest. Chan never disappoints. Except when she cancels her tour.
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